


Numinous (Book 1: Water)

by Korielle_Writing



Series: Avatar: The Last Airbender Rewrite (Korielle) [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: 100 Year War (Avatar TV), Aged-Up Character(s), Airbending & Airbenders, Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bending (Avatar), Bisexual Katara (Avatar), Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Bisexual Suki (Avatar), Bisexual Zuko (Avatar), Earthbending & Earthbenders, F/F, F/M, Firebending & Firebenders, Fluff and Angst, Gen, M/M, Multi, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Pansexual Aang (Avatar), Protective Sokka (Avatar), Slow Burn, Waterbending & Waterbenders
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:07:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29689959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Korielle_Writing/pseuds/Korielle_Writing
Summary: ~An ATLA re-write starting at The Boy In The Iceberg~The 100 Year War has been raging on and wrecked the lives of many and shows no signs of stopping until Katara, 16, and the last Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe and her brother, Sokka, find the new Avatar, a 114-year-old Airbender named Aang. In Book One, they travel for Aang to learn the art of waterbending. All while being chased by the Banished Prince Zuko, his Uncle Iroh, and a new face that joins them.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Aang/Toph Beifong, Katara (Avatar)/Original Character(s), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Yue (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar)/Original Character(s)
Series: Avatar: The Last Airbender Rewrite (Korielle) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2181861
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Numinous (Book 1: Water)

_abyssal~(adj) pertaining to the bottom of the ocean_

* * *

It was early to wake up but, with everything Katara, Kana, and the other women had to do. As Katara looked around and gave a soft but tired smile, she had awoken earlier. She thought a moment as she combed her hand through her hair and took a few strands, and braided them thin enough to slip the beads on them. There wasn’t much alone time for her to be by herself without some chore to do. She knew when her mother had been killed, she’d have to take over, and then the war took her father and all the men older than Sokka; it was a lot to think about.

She shook her head as she finished the two braids to loop into the larger braid. Katara took a deep breath and put her parka on over her clothes and her gloves as she walked out. She just had to wash clothes and hang out with the children for a bit before Sokka, and she went to fish. She frowned a bit as she looked at the different clothes. Sokka’s socks, her face twisted with annoyance until she shook her head. No, she couldn’t be like that; she had shoes to fill, her mom’s shoes to be exact, and she was she was going to. “Good morning, Gran-Gran,” Katara said as she heard someone enter the tent.

“Good morning, Katara,” The older woman said with a firm smile. “You’re almost done here? After you get to spend some time with the children, Sokka said he was taking you fishing.?” She questioned.

Katara nodded with a small smile; it would be a great time to practice water bending on what wasn’t clothes. She sighed softly, “I’m actually done here. I just have to hang up everything; I also set up food and everything else, so we shouldn’t have to be worried about that later.” She said she took the basket of clothes, going over to the tiger seal-oil lamp to let them dry. She knew it was hard and part of it was she didn’t want to leave all the work on her grandmother or the other women who had their time taken up with taking care of their children. After some time, she had finished the clothes, and they could dry. She walked out of the tent to go to the central igloo. This time would give everyone time to do whatever else they had to do, and she’d be the surrogate mother for everyone.

“Water. Earth. Fire. Air.” She paused as she took a deep breath and began the short story from the children “My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days: a time of peace when the Avatar kept the balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. But that all changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar mastered all four elements; only he could stop the ruthless fire benders. But when the world needed him most, he vanished.” She paused the story to see if they were still attentive, well as focused as young children could be.

“A hundred years have passed, and the Fire Nation is nearing victory in the war. Two years ago, my father and the men of my tribe journeyed to the Earth Kingdom to help fight against the Fire Nation, leaving me and my brother to look after our tribe. Some people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads and that the cycle is broken, but I haven’t lost hope. I still believe that, somehow, the Avatar will return to save the world.” Katara took a soft breath after she finished speaking to the children in the Southern Water Tribe. “Alright, I have to go.” She said as she walked over and met Sokka.

“Ready to go, Katara?” Sokka asked.

“Yeah.”

❧❧❧

Sokka held his spear at the ready, prepared to strike once he saw a fish. He waited patiently; while Katara nodded absentmindedly as she stared into the water on the other side of the canoe. Sokka was focused on a fish that swam near the boat, following its every movement. “It’s not getting away from me this time. Watch and learn, Katara. This is how you catch a fish.”

Katara nodded as she slipped off a glove and concentrated on the fish she had caught in a water bubble with her bending. “Sokka, look!”

“SSSH! Katara, you’re going to scare it away. “Sokka said urgently, “Mmmm ... I can already smell it cookin’.”

“But, Sokka! I caught one!” She said excitedly as the bubble slowly moved over Sokka’s head just as he was about to spear a fish. “Hey!”

Sokka jumped back a bit and glared a bit, “Why is it that every time _you_ play with magic water, _I_ get soaked?”

“It’s not “magic"; it’s water bending! And it’s…” She started, her voice laced with annoyance. Maybe if she wasn’t, the only water bender left and had some semblance of training or a teacher, it’d be better for both of them.

“Yeah, yeah, ‘an ancient art unique to our culture,' blah, blah, blah. Look, I’m just saying,” Sokka rolled his eyes as he rang out his gloves the reached up to his Warriors Wolf knot to ring it out as well, “that if I had weird powers, I’d keep my weirdness; to myself.” He stated matter-of-factly.

Katara glared at him as she crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re calling _me_ weird?” She asked as her glare softened only for her to raise an eyebrow at him, “I’m not the one who makes muscles at myself every time I see my reflection in the water!” She rolled her eyes as he flexed and grinned in the water. Men, she shook her head a bit, “You’re the most annoying eighteen-year-old I know.”

“Same to you, the most annoying sixteen-year-old I know.” He went to say more, only to jump and began to dodge the multitudes of ice floes.

“WATCH OUT! GO LEFT!” Katara yelled as they landed on a single ice floe. “You call that _left?_ ”

“You don’t like my steering? Well, maybe you should’ve water bended us out of the ice.” He remarked as he flailed his arms around.

Katara glared at him, “How the hell is this my fault?”

“I _knew_ I should’ve left you home!” Sokka muttered, “leave it to a girl to screw things up!” He said, annoyed, but his voice was relatively calm.

“You are the most sexist, immature, … _nut brained_ ... I’m embarrassed to be related to you!”

“Katara, wai-”

“Don’t tell me to wait. Ever since mom died, _I_ ’ _ve_ been doing all the work around camp while you’ve been off playing soldier!”

“Uh ... Katara …”

“I even wash all the clothes! Have you ever smelled your dirty socks? Let me tell you, not pleasant!” She yelled, not noticing that she had been bending the whole time.

“Katara, settle down!” Sokka said urgently.

“No, that’s it! I’m _done_ helping you! From now on, you’re _on your own!_ ”Her anger and water bending created a huge wave that caused the iceberg to break in half and split their ice floe into two pieces from all the previous stress. A few giant waves rushed towards the two of them, which causedSokka to hold a protective arm over Katara, and he turned his head toward her.

“Okay, you’ve gone from ‘weird’ to freakish,' Katara.” He said as he let her go and shook his head.

“You mean _I_ did that?” She asked, surprised.

Sokka smirked proudly and nodded, “you did.” he nudged her side gently. “Congratulations.”

She went to celebrate, only to stop once she noticed several little bubbles appeared on the surface of the water. And just like that, the ocean trembled once more and pulled a strangely spherical iceberg out of its depths.

The siblings jumped back as a blue light came up around the object. Katara frowned softly as she moved a bit closer; Sokka shook his head as he reached out his hand.

As Katara got a better look, she noticed a human shape within below a larger, indistinguishable mass. The human figure was sat in a lotus position. Katara stopped in her tracks as she saw the figure that glowed closer as she raises an eyebrow in confusion. The shot cuts to a closer view of the figure in the ice, its features accentuated by reflected light that revealed a boy. Suddenly, when he opened his eyes, Katara noticed it had a similar light on his hands and forehead.

“He’s alive!” She exclaimed as she grabbed Sokka’s club, “we have to help,” She said and ran up to the sphere and, with all her might, began to his it.

“Katara, get back here!” Sokka grabbed his spear from the ice and ran after Katara. We don’t know what that _thing_ is!”

By the time Sokka had made it up there, a great gust of wind, which escaped from within the iceberg which threw Katara and her brother back from the side of the dome. They watched as the entire orb of ice destroyed itself and shoot of a beam of light.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, thank you for reading my first Avatar: The Last Airbender. I was procrastinating during class one day and said let's try it. All criticism, critiques, and comments are appreciated.  
> ~ Korielle


End file.
